By Jim Straw -

Having set on both sides of the desk … both Borrower and Banker … I have seen the best and the worst of both worlds. — I have known Bankers who knew absolutely nothing about doing business required by their “job” to pass judgment on business loan applications … relying upon outdated textbook business templates to make a decision.

On the other hand, I have seen otherwise intelligent business people … with sound business plans and sometimes even successfully operating small businesses … approach the lenders with the most ridiculous “financing plans” imaginable.

In one case, a small business owner came to me for financing for his business. — He needed about $150,000 to expand the business from its current operating base.  But, instead of asking to borrow $150,000 … which was justifiable … he wanted to borrow $1,000,000; putting $150,000 into the business and using the $850,000 to create a self-liquidating sinking fund to pay off the loan.  (He told me, “That’s the way the big companies do it.”)

Another “business borrower” came halfway around the world to my bank in the South Pacific to try to borrow $25,000. — The loan may (or may not) have been justifiable but his business was too far away for us to get a real picture of his “local trade area” business. — When I directed him to take his request to a bank or loan company in his home town, his reply was, “They all know me.”  (I guess he figured I didn’t know him, so I would give him the money.)

Beyond that … in case after case … “business borrowers” approached my bank without knowing for sure exactly how much money they needed, or what the money would be used for. — In most of those cases, the “cash” requirements of the business could have been reduced to near nothing by utilizing leasing, factoring and vendor financing. — In those cases where I could work with the borrower, I would take the time to show them how to use leasing to satisfy their equipment needs; factoring to give them a faster cashflow; and vendor financing to increase their inventory … without borrowing any money at all.

Unfortunately, in the majority of those cases, the “business borrower” wouldn’t listen to anything that didn’t put the “cash” proceeds of a loan into his grubby little paws. –  Their attitude was, “Just give me the cash.  Then, I’ll use it to get what I need.” — But, as every banker knows, “cash” only has value in a business when it is “necessary” to the business … not just a “wanna have.”

So, if you are looking for “financing” for your business, you should …

First Determine Exactly What You Need!
(Most Likely, You Don’t “need” As Much As You Think.)

Back when I was serving with the “Active Corps of Executives” (ACE) program with the “Small Business Administration” (SBA), I was called upon countless times to review the loan applications of, and interview, small business people seeking SBA loans.

My job was to find out whether or not the loan amount was sufficient to the needs of the business; or excessive. — To that end, I looked at each loan application and asked myself a series of multi-part questions.  Questions you need to ask yourself, before you even begin your search of business financing.

Question #1:  Is any part of the loan to be used to buy equipment of any kind? — Can that equipment be leased, or will the business need the cash to buy that equipment? — If the business must buy the equipment, is there a ready market for that used equipment should the business fail?

Question #2:  Is any part of the loan to be used to buy inventory? — Do the vendors in that particular business offer their goods on consignment?  Open account?  Short term (90 day) financing? — What is the minimum cash required for starting inventory? — What kind of cash reserve should be set aside for future and on-going inventory? — What is the anticipated annual inventory turnover? — What is the industry ‘norm’ for inventory turnover?

Question #3:  Does the business currently have any Accounts Receivable? — How much? — What is their aging?  (How long do they stay unpaid?) — Can the borrower Factor the current Accounts Receivable to generate some of the cash requirements? — Are the Accounts Receivable too old to be Factored?  (That probably means the business should be required to review their credit policies.)

Applying just those three questions to your “business financing” needs will put you ahead of the game. — You will better know what you really need – and – by noting the answers to those questions in your “Loan Proposal” or “Business Plan,” you will be able to show a banker where you have made an effort to use alternative sources in your planning. — But …

What If … even then … The Bankers Won’t Loan You Any Money?

Well, don’t feel like the Lone Stranger. — Over the years, I have seen even the best thought out and presented business loan applications rejected by Bankers (and the SBA) simply because the lenders lack a working knowledge of the business community they are serving.

In that case, you might want to use …

The Greatest Financing Tactic Of All!

Over the past 40 years, I have seen more money raised using this method than any other. — In one case, I saw it generate over $500,000 in “private” financing in less than a week.

What is it? — What is it?

Believe it or not, all you have to do is run a “Classified Ad” in the newspaper … preferably the newspaper in the largest city near to you.  But, it’s not what you say in the ad, it is “WHERE” you place the ad.

What? — Didn’t I just tell you to place the ad in the “Classified” section of the newspaper?

YES – but – you probably think the ad should be in the “Business Opportunities” section. — It shouldn’t. — In order to reach the people you need to reach, you should have your ad published in the “PERSONALS” … that’s where it will be seen by the Private Investors you will be seeking.

Now, here is the customary, and generally acceptable, ad to use:

PRIVATE INVESTORS Wanted for new ____________ enterprise.  Minimum investment $xxxx.  ROI ____%.  Business plan available.  Call:

Of course, the ROI (Return On Investment) you offer should be significantly higher than the interest being paid by local banks. — Today, 12% to 14% are good numbers.

You should have a well thought-out Business Plan prepared to tell your story to anyone who calls – but – don’t mail it to them.  When a potential investor calls, set an appointment … time and place … where you can meet with them. — This will allow you to separate a lot of the “tire kickers” from the “real players.” — Take a copy of your Business Plan with you and be prepared to answer any questions.

Note:  Have your attorney prepare the necessary promissory notes and/or any other legal documents you might need.  Take a set of those forms with you, too.

In some cases, you may be able to convince the investor to write a check right then – but – in most cases, you will have to leave a copy of the Business Plan and any necessary forms for them to “think about.” — Follow up with them. — Respond to any further questions they may have. — ASK them for a loan … or investment.

Should the investor decide “NOT” to participate, ASK them to return the Business Plan and forms to you … by mail, or in person.

A lot of work – but – when you really need the financing, it is a small price to pay.

Then again, you could …

Take Your Business Public!

Hey … that sounds a lot harder than it actually is, today.

Using “Form U-7″ under the “Small Corporate Offering Registration” (SCOR) … adopted by the North American Securities Administrators Association in April, 1989 … your business can…

Raise up to $1 million annual … Sell stock to an unlimited number of non accredited investors … Use ads and telemarketing as general solicitations  … and … Allow registered brokers and officers to sell the offering.

When you use the SCOR Form U-7, you don’t have to go through the regular registration process, or even file any documents with the Securities Exchange Commission.

Beyond that, it is even easier when you need less than $500,000 because, under $500,000 you don’t (usually) have to have audited Financial Statements.

Rather than try to explain the SCOR program to you, I high recommend you cough-up a paltry $14.95 and buy a copy of “How To Raise $1 Million for Your Business”  … the most revolutionary manual ever written on the how, why, what, where, when of selling up to $1 Million worth of your stock to the public … a step by step manual with sample replies … including all important “contacts” who can assist you in getting the job done the right way.

With the information and resources in, “How To Raise $1 Million for Your Business” you could be selling free trading stock in your company … with no restriction for resale … quickly and hassle free in as little as 30 days.

Order your personal copy of “How To Raise $1 Million for Your Business” directly from the publisher at:  http://www.salesmart.com/scor.htm

Once you have your SCOR offering prepared, start selling the issue to your family, friends, associates, and co-workers.  Also, place your classified ad in the newspaper again only, this time eliminate the ROI and change “Business plan available” to “Prospectus Available.”

This might just catch the eye of a Big Bucks Venture Capitalist, or some stock brokers, who will be impressed with the fact that you already have a prospectus.

By the way, with a SCOR offering, any Stock Broker can sell the stock for you … in any state in
which you file the registration.  (I suggest only registering in your own state to begin with.  If a stock broker wants to sell the stock in another state, let him register the offering in that state for you.)

Of course, there are other ways to get financing for your business – but – these are the best ways I know of and I know they work because I’ve either done it myself or helped others do it. — But, no matter how you go about it, always remember …

STRAW’S LAW OF BUSINESS FINANCE

Business financing is an expedient; not salvation. It is ONLY a way of spending tomorrow’s earnings, today. If the project AND borrower, combined, cannot logically indicate future earnings; the lenders won’t touch it with a 10-foot pole.

Note:  Now that you’ve read this letter, go to: http://www.businesslyceum.com/finance.html and read my article entitled, “Business Financing – To Be or Not To Be.”  (I think you’ll learn something.)

By Jimmy Krug –

Online publishing has changed a lot over the years. One year in Internet time is like three years in “real time.” Things change quickly. Something that’s hot one minute is cold the next. Attention spans are getting shorter all the time. One thing hasn’t changed, however, and never will. People are still people and enjoy “escaping” from the hum-drum realities of everyday life. The Internet provides the perfect outlet for many of them.

As a publisher of non-fiction information, you need to realize that there are masses of people who use non-fiction content, just as others use fiction, as a form of escapism. It’s true. People buy books teaching them how to do things they have no real intentions of doing. The buy these books because they enjoy reading about “how” it’s done.

Let me give you an example. There are loads of single people who buy books on how meet and attract the opposite sex who never really intend on putting what they learn into practice. They just want to read about the psychology of how it’s done. You can buy books that will teach you the techniques spies use to obtain important information. Why would you buy a book like that if you had no intention of entering the world of “covert activity?”

The answer’s simple. The information is a form of entertainment.

Maybe one of the techniques you learn actually could come in handy one day, right? You may be laughing, but this is how many people think. I once bought a book that taught beginners how to make a simple, romantic dinner for two. I read it, but never actually committed to USING it. I thought I might, but by the time I was finished, I figured it would be better to go out to a nice restaurant instead.

THE RISE OF KINDLE

eBooks have come a long way since the 1990’s. With the advent of Kindle, the market has really changed significantly. Kindle books now outsell paper and ink books more than three to one and the numbers continue to grow every day.

I bought one for my father and my girlfriend over the holidays. Both are avid readers. Me? I just downloaded Kindle for the PC and read the books on my laptop. My girlfriend has a library like you’d see in one of those old English films with books lining the wall from floor to ceiling. She’s read every single book, too. I figured the Kindle would be good for her because there’s simply no room left for more physical books.

My father is getting up there in age. He’s 79-years old and has some arthritis. Holding the book open for more than fifteen minutes actually bothers his hands and sometimes it’s difficult for him to turn the pages easily.

Long story short, both of them love their new Kindles (The Kindle Touch $99). In fact, I did an informal survey of those I knew who bought the black and white Kindles with the e-Ink technology. Not one of them wanted to go back to purchasing paper and ink books again. How quickly things have changed in the last five years.

The publishing revolution is in full swing and if you’re reading this article, you’re in the perfect position to take advantage of it. If you want to succeed as an author, the odds of doing so have never been so much in your favor as they are today.

Kindle and the Amazon Publishing System is not just a here today – gone tomorrow “fad.” It’s the real deal. A few writer friends of mine have already published several titles and are making money with Amazon’s marketing and publishing system. It’s not difficult to get started either.

Here’s how it works.

1. 1.      Go to Amazon and signup for their Kindle Publishing Program: www.kdp.amazon.com/
2. Write your eBook in either Microsoft Word or Open Office. Make sure you insert a “page break” after every chapter so in the final formatting, Kindle will be able to read where one chapter ends and the next one begins.
3. Save the Word Document as a webpage (.htm & html)
4. Download Mobipocket Creator http://www.mobipocket.com/en/downloadsoft/productdetailscreator.asp This is the program you will use to convert your book into the final format for Kindle.
5. Choose “Import” to import your book.
6. Go to the “Cover Image” tab and click on the “Add a Cover Image” button. Then choose the image file you want to use as your eBooks’ cover and press “Update.” A good size to choose for your cover artwork would be 1280 pixels high by 846 pixels wide.
7. Go to the “Build” tab and click on the “Build” button to convert your manuscript file into the PRC format. When you are ready to publish your eBook, you can upload the PRC file into the Amazon Direct Publishing system.

Those are the seven basic steps.

KINDLE PUBLISHING VS. DO IT YOURSELF PDF eBooks

I’ve been selling and buying PDF eBooks for years. A lot more goes into the do-it-yourself process than the Kindle process.

The biggest hassle I’ve dealt with over the years is with automating the sales/download process. In my  own case, I wasn’t happy with just “hiding” the url of the download page. I kept looking for a system that was virtually 100% theft proof. There are also issues of customer service and support that go along with people losing their download links, needing questions answered, etc.

With Amazon, you don’t have to worry about any of that. All of that is taken care of for you. All you have to do is take care of the product creation and you’re all set. After that it’s hands-off.

The second biggest hassle with the do-it-yourself method is creating 3-D eBook covers that LOOK GOOD. Creating so-so ones or lousy ones is easy! The better looking covers take a little more time and effort to create. One of the ways around this issue is found at Fiverr.com. Just look for eBook cover design and you’ll find plenty of people who will design a nice cover for you for only five-bucks. You can’t beat that.

When I first started, however, I wound up buying several different Photoshop scripts, Box-Shot 3D and other cover creation programs.

I learned over time how to design and create my own product cover graphics. This was great and I don’t regret, hassles aside, having done so.

With the Amazon system, however, none of the special cover creation software or scripts are necessary. All you need is a basic “flat” book cover design. No need for 3-dimensions, drop-shadow effects or any of the other extras. As you can see, there are definite pluses with the Amazon System for beginners and veterans alike.

MARKETING

When it comes to marketing, the traditional method involves building your own website, getting traffic, building mailing lists, creating products and making sales.

With the Amazon system, traffic generation becomes a non-issue – as long as your topic is one that traditional readers gravitate towards. For example, most Kindle owners do not fit the business opportunity mold. They are not “Internet Marketers.” These are people who enjoy reading as a lifestyle. This includes people of every income bracket.

While I highly recommend having your own website/blog, if you’re just starting – you can still sell your own product without having one by partnering with Amazon.

My friend Joe is retired and writes both fiction and non-fiction. Recently, he wrote a series on famous Mafia personalities and published the first volume with the Amazon Kindle program. If you have an interest in that subject and look up “Mafia” or “Mobster” related titles on Amazon… Amazon will suggest other titles to you – including Joe’s. With this method, his book rose to #8 on the best-seller list for that category. Getting known and building a readership can be that simple.

This works with any subject matter. If you write a book that’s similar to a current best-seller (topic-wise), Amazon will help market your title to those who bought similar titles in that niche. That’s how it works in a nutshell. Amazon makes money when YOU make money. It’s an ideal business relationship with their current business model.

CAN YOU REALLY MAKE MONEY SELLING “CHEAP” OR INEXPENSIVE EBOOKS?

Here’s where the rubber meets the road. At the end of the day, is there really money to be made selling inexpensive eBooks? First, please take note of my use of the words “cheap” and “inexpensive.” In my world, cheap is something that saves money but skimps on value. For example, you buy a cheap lunch at McDonalds and have heartburn an hour later. You could have gone to the Chinese restaurant and had something with vegetables in it for around $8.00 for lunch. But, you start thinking about the economy, get depressed, and decide to save a few dollars. At the end of the day, did you really save anything? You ate a lousy lunch with little to no nutritional value because you were too cheap and in too much of a hurry to sit down and eat a healthier lunch. People waste money like this all the time.

Cheap eBooks have little to no value. The books and their authors are here one day and gone the next. Inexpensive books and eBooks, however, are much different. Inexpensive simply means the product doesn’t cost a lot when compared to similar products in the same market. If you create a good product that adds value to the readers’ life, believe me, they’ll be back for more.

The marketers of old used to be fond of saying, “It’s easier overall to sell 10 products at $100 per unit than it is to sell 100 products at $10 per unit.” That may have been true a decade ago… but let’s face it, times have changed. Inexpensive is in these days and will probably continue to be for some time to come. Selling in volume is possible when you have the right marketing vehicle in place. For many authors, Amazon is providing that vehicle.

People are heavily weighing value in their buying decisions these days. They aren’t parting with their money as easily or as indiscriminately as they did in the past. And when it comes to credit, the buy now pay later lifestyle has become a thing of the past for many consumers.

Obviously, there are still people making high-end purchases. The question is, are these people active in YOUR market?

SUMMING IT UP

Kindle is definitely not the route to overnight riches. With multiple titles, however, and other backend products/services available for your readers, it’s definitely worth considering. If you enjoy writing but hate marketing, Amazon may very well be the dream partner you’re looking for.

As for myself, I’ve been supplying online services (in some way, shape or form) for offline clients since 1998. It’s evolved into great little niche since then. Even so, when time allows this year, I will most certainly be jumping onto the Kindle ship to see where it takes me. If possible, I encourage you to do the same. You never know until you try!

On a final note, you can buy and read Kindle books without purchasing the Kindle reader. To download the reader software for your PC, laptop, MAC, etc. Simple go to Google and type – “kindle reader for pc, MAC, etc.”

By Jim Straw -

No doubt, you have often heard it said, “There are no stupid questions,” or, “The only stupid question is the question you didn’t ask.”

Although these statements-of-truth are often repeated, over the years I have found that very, very few people ever really ask the questions they should. — For that reason, if you will notice, in almost every book I have written I capitalize the word “ASK” whenever it is used.

It is my opinion that the reason most people don’t ask questions is because of the teachers (?) they encountered during their earliest education. — How many times did a teacher (?) tell you to “sit down and shut up” when you asked a question in class? — After enough instances, you finally ‘learned’ that asking questions was not acceptable behavior.

Beyond that, it is also my opinion that those of us who keep asking questions … even after we have been told to “sit down and shut up” countless times … are the ones who succeed in business and in life. That’s because, unlike those who quit asking questions, we eventually get the answers we need to accomplish the things we want to do. The more questions we ask … questioning anything and everything … the greater our understanding of business and life.

I have known a lot of stupid people in my life. But, how do I know they are really stupid?

It’s really very simple…

Really Stupid People never ask any questions.

Because …

Stupidity is a learned condition … not an inherited trait.

Stupid people are created by parents, teachers, the clergy, and all the other authority figures. It begins the first time an inquiring young mind is denied the opportunity to ‘question’ the efficacy, accuracy, fidelity, veracity, or effectiveness of anything … or that same inquiring young mind is denied access to known facts because the parent, teacher, or whoever, is too lazy to assist a child in finding an answer the child can understand.

Education should be about ‘answering questions,’ and teaching children how to ‘find answers,’ rather than about maintaining rules and accepting the input from any one source. Even known, proven facts should be taught to be questioned.

Then again, don’t be holding your breath waiting for our society to adopt such an educational format; based upon teaching ‘questions,’ rather than rote ‘answers,’ because …

Bureaucratic bodies and crooks … in government and business … depend upon stupid people for their very existence.

Although the vast majority of authority figures … in education, religion, the professions, business, government, and all other activities and endeavors … are quick to recite “There are no stupid questions,” or, “The only stupid question is the question you didn’t ask,” their ‘sit down and shut up’ attitude toward those who do ask questions speaks louder than their words.

When a person has been told to ‘sit down and shut up’ … by either word or action … enough times, that person finally learns that asking questions … about anything … is an unacceptable behavior. Then, it is easy for anyone seeking ‘control’ over that stupid (unquestioning) person by using one of the oldest tricks in the con-man’s handbook — “first give the victim the answer you want, then ask the question.”

Unfortunately, in today’s society, it has become ingrained in our populace that, “only stupid people ask questions.” Thereby, it is only necessary for the bureaucratic body, or crook, seeking control over another … for any reason … to first give that person, or those people, the answer they want before they ask the question. — Because their intended victim has already been conditioned to be stupid, they can proceed with impunity knowing they will never be questioned – and – if anyone should have the audacity to raise a question, it will be all too easy to get the stupid people they control to assist them in labeling the questioner a fool, an heretic, or even worse.

Think about it. — Have you ever heard anyone question Al Gore’s “theory” of global warming? — Why? — Because asking would question the intellect and veracity of an ex-Vice President of the  U.S. of A.

Fortunately…

Stupidity Can Be Cured!

All you have to do is ASK!

Every condition in your life has it’s cause. — Poor people are poor, because they have never asked themselves, “why am I poor?” — They just accept the condition and pass it along to their offspring.

Unless YOU learn to ASK for what you want from life, you will be stupid. But, you have to keep on asking, and Asking, and ASKING until you get the answers that will, finally and lastingly, lead you to a full understanding of success in business and in life.

ASK, and you will receive. — It is better to appear to be stupid in the eyes of really stupid people than to NOT ASK and really be stupid yourself.

By Jimmy Krug –

The eBook business – hot or not? Well, if you pursue it the way most people do, I would have to definitely say – not.

How do most people approach the eBook business these days? Well, most of the time they offer a lousy PLR (private label rights) product with the same information in it that you can get in 1,400 other places  Next, they email offers to the subscriber that have (at best) a vague or general connection to the original information they signed up for.

This is a surefire way to get crowds of people to either unsubscribe from a list right away or delete the emails without opening them.

I enjoy buying eBooks. I’m talking about “How-To” business topics. I read them mostly these days for the enjoyment factor. You could say I read them for the same reason people read fiction. I find it interesting reading about what other people are doing or have done in the past.

Most of the authors I’ve followed over the years use their publications as “frontend” products. If you’ve been around marketing for any length of time, you’re probably already familiar with the terms “frontend” and “backend” when it comes to direct marketing. The frontend  is designed to bring people to the table. This can be done with inexpensive books, CD’s, DVD’s, and other low-cost products.

The big money, however, is made on the backend.

I’m sure you’ve all seen the expensive weekend seminars advertised over the years? The people who attend these seminars usually do so after purchasing books, DVD’s, etc. A percentage of frontend buyers will invest in the backend seminar which may cost several thousand dollars or more. The business model was designed that way. No one is going to “walk in off the street” and sign up for an expensive seminar without first testing the product in its cost-effective form first. True, there may be exceptions, but they’re just that – exceptions.

That’s just one business model.

There are many others.

As you can see, there’s quite a difference between writing a book to make some money and doing it to make a living. To make GOOD money, you need to have a profitable business model in place that allows the potential lifetime value of a customer to be a significant one.

WHY NOT THINK – PUBLISHING COMPANY?

Today, thanks to the Internet, you can be the writer and publisher of your product.

Amazon has a service that makes it easy for you publish kindle books and paperback books via their on-demand service called CreateSpace.  Along with that, you also have the standard PDF publications people have been buying for years. The industry is wide open to a new generation of author/publishers.

The gatekeepers of old (traditional publishing houses) have lost their ability to control the industry. There is nothing standing between you and your market. All you need is a plan to provide you with the mechanics of making money.

In 1998, I began developing the concept of selling booklets (paper and ink) in bulk to credit unions. The booklets (Car Buying Secrets and How To Erase Your Poor Credit Rating) weren’t exactly ingenious titles or concepts. They fit a very tight niche. They were designed to help credit unions market their products and services to their members more effectively.

With this business model, the money was in selling bulk units. Making money in chunks is a lot better than making it in drips! There wasn’t really a backend to speak of, although my career as a consultant was basically born out of the experience. That wound up opening doors of opportunity in many other areas.

THE MODEL I’M CURRENTLY USING

Another way to run a profitable eBook publishing business is to use the publications to market other services you offer. Last year I began publishing short Internet marketing publications and used them to promote a variety of services to local, offline businesses. The response was great. I’ve enjoyed a very prosperous 2011 using this model.

If you know what you’re talking about in a particular niche, you can also use your publications to promote your own consulting service. I’ve met a lot of consultants over the past year. Most I’ve met, regardless of the niche, make an average of $100-$150hr.

That’s not too bad, is it?

A friend of mine is a restaurant consultant. She also provides publicity services such as writing press releases and sending them to local media outlets. Basically, she can do it all, so she creates a package for the restaurant based upon their individual needs.

That’s just one example. She, too, is getting ready to use books to market her services throughout the state of Florida.

Books, paper or digital, are great marketing vehicles. Blogs are great, too. Both can be used to build trust and familiarity with your brand. Building trust is what it’s all about in today’s market. Before anyone will be willing to send “big money” in your direction, they’ll have to trust you first.

CREATING YOUR PLAN

I’ve developed a variety of marketing plans for myself, friends and clients over the past years. There really isn’t a one-size-fits-all plan that good for every business. In my own case, the simpler the plan (the less moving parts), the easier it is for me to implement the plan and stick with it. With eBooks, it doesn’t have to be complex in the least and you can have full control over your product. You don’t have to invest in programmers (as you do with software) or inventory, as you do with physical products. Even if you decide to have a physical, paper and ink publication, you can use a service like CreateSpace that only prints the book after the sale is made. That way, there is no need to inventory anything.

Next, you have to decide on how you’re going to market your business. There are loads of tools out there with more popping up every day. Some people I currently work with are really big on social media. Other’s just use it to create backlinks and aren’t very active with it at all. You don’t HAVE TO do ANY ONE THING except attract the attention of those in your niche… and there are many ways to do that.

I prefer using blogs. Drawing traffic to a blog isn’t rocket science. Good keywords in the domain name is where I usually start. I do my research using the Google Keyword tool which is free.

I also use a few plugins (All-In-One-SEO, Google Sitemap Generator and Easy WP-SEO) to handle the on-page SEO for this site and others. On my home site, SimplePublications.com, I use a template that automates a lot of the time consuming tasks. This is a WordPress theme which, if you decide to use WordPress, will save you a lot of time.

It’s not exactly cheap at $97, but I wasted a lot more than that buying and testing all the “low cost” solutions. If you’re a do-it-yourselfer, there is a learning curve that goes with the territory. Each new software product and/or script you buy will require some focus (an occasionally some tenacity) to set up properly. Realize this going in. With some things, it’s much easier paying someone else to set things up for you.

At the very least, it’s good to have a “go to” person available, just in case you mess up.

If you’re a sole proprietor and just starting out, you’ll also want to have some basic accounting software you can use to keep track of who owes what… as well as your income and outgo.

Accounting software isn’t cheap. You can buy invoicing software if you have a very simple business structure instead of investing in a whole accounting package. That’s one way to save a little money. Another option is a free online service called Wave Accounting (http://waveaccounting.com/)

One of my friends is a lawyer. He runs his firm as a sole proprietor. When I asked him why, he said, “Because I don’t want to pay all the corporate fees to the state to run a corporation. I use a simple Schedule-C on my tax return.”

Naturally, I asked him about liability. His response was, “Liability for what? No food or drink is involved. I’m not in the health industry. What type of liability do I have to worry about?”

Of course, this isn’t legal or accounting advice I’m giving you. I’m just sharing with you what’s been shared with me. You need to decide what will work best for you.

DO IT YOURSELF, OR OUTSOURCE IT

As a habitual do-it-yourselfer, I prefer to keep most of tasks involved with my daily routine in-house. I do outsource things from time to time, but that’s only if my time is being consumed by “billable hours.” I never let laziness be the deciding factor as to whether or not I’m going to outsource any particular aspect of a personal business project.

Naturally, you can’t do everything well. I once heard someone give the advice, “Have you fingers in everything but your hands in nothing.”

That’s good advice to a point, but it’s not always practical.

At the end of the day, no one will care as much about your business as you do. If you’re going to outsource work, make sure you’re outsourcing it to individuals who have as much to lose (in terms of reputation) as you do by the job not being done correctly.

If you’re a little confused about business models and which one would work best for you, do a little investigating in your spare time. Visit sites, buy products, see how the marketing works and take notes. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Sometime one little tweak makes all the difference in the world.

Finally, stick with it. Most people fall by the wayside when things don’t go their way right away. Or they become bogged down with information overload. Prepare for adversity in the very beginning. If it doesn’t happen, great. If it does, you’ll be prepared.

By Jimmy Krug –

I’ll be the last person to knock people who spend money on Clickbank’s software and information products. I’ve bought some myself. I’m using Clickbank as an example because many people are familiar with their internet marketing products and affiliate program. There’s nothing wrong with buying “specialized” software or information products if you’re buying them for the right reasons. The problem happens when you start developing the “get rich quick addiction.”

I’m sure you’ve noticed – people have all kinds of addictions. And as you know, there are more people than ever before out there taking advantage of this fact and profiting monetarily from it. The Get Rich Quick addiction is similar to the Gambling addiction. The promise of quick profits with little or no effort is just too much for some people to resist.

At a time when so many people are in desperate need of money, the “Get Rich Quick” way of thinking is spreading faster than ever before.

Clickbank is known for offering a variety of information and software products with sales copy that follows the familiar rags to riches storyline. This isn’t to say the products themselves are all bad. The information you’ll learn and the programs you’ll buy, however, are far cry away from being the magical keys that will unlock the doors to unfathomable riches. Far from it. Just read the fine print.

I’ve talked to many people who’ve spent fortunes on “magic software” that will bring hoards of eager buyers to you site.  Just set it up and within a few weeks, you’ll be depositing checks. The people who buy into these programs are often influenced by the glowing testimonials of people “just like them.”

I did the bulk of my own get-rich-quick purchases in my twenties. I’d like to say I didn’t know any better, but the fact was – I did and bought the stuff anyway “just in case.” Back then, these offers were found in magazines. Most of the ads were what you’d call “blind ads.” With a blind ad, you never know what the details of the information product was until you bought the front end product. The stories were always very similar.  Some poor, down on their luck person was broke, just like you. Then, they discovered the secret.

The ad usually showed the person standing by a fancy car or with an exquisite looking home visible in the background. Finally, in closing… they want to share their secret with you, for a small fee.

If you’re a get rich quick addict, you already know how these small fees can add up over the months (not to mention the years)

One day, back in early 1990’s, I was reading one of these ads when I suddenly recognized the address as being in the same post office as my own! The ad included the man’s name so I looked it up in the White Pages and would you believe – I found his phone number and address? I was so excited I would have done a back flip if I thought I could do one without breaking my neck. The next day I drove to the address to check out the area.

He had a beautiful home located on the water inside a gated community.

I wasn’t totally nuts, so instead of climbing the gate, I decided to call him on the phone instead. To my surprise, he answered the phone! I told him that I’d seen his article in the magazine and lived about ten minutes from his house. I was honest with him and told him I’d wasted more money than I could really afford on programs promising wealth and financial freedom – but was really interesting in learning what his magical business was.

He probably thought I was half nuts because I’d gone through the trouble of tracking him down… so after a moment’s hesitation he told me, “I’m in the furniture restoration business.”

Furniture restoration? Wow. What a letdown that was, at least to me. I thanked him for turning all the cards over and that was that. No need to send $19.95 to learn about all the possibilities that awaited me in the furniture restoration business. No wonder he didn’t mention what it was in the ad. It was just a guy in sunglasses standing next to a fancy car. Besides, I’d struggle building a birdhouse let alone restoring a piece of furniture.

As the day went on, I found myself thinking about all that would be involved in having a furniture restoration business. That’s when the light bulb finally went on. There is no such thing as a business that doesn’t require your time, energy, focus, training and yes… some kind of commitment.

As time goes on, you learn better ways of doing things and (hopefully) become more proficient at the little aspects that make up the entire process. Most things don’t come quickly. They make come all at once, but that’s only after some time and energy have been invested.

Logically speaking, just above everyone knows the get rich quick mentality will get them nowhere. They spend their money, however, with the same “hope” (or maybe abandon) as someone pulling the lever on a slot machine. From this perspective, Clickbank is like a casino… and like the old saying goes, the house always wins.

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE PRODUCTS THEMSELVES

Information products differ greatly from software products insofar as they have a much greater shelf life. For instance, you can buy a book on copywriting written 30-years ago (or longer) and still find what’s being taught applicable today.

When it comes to software, it’s another story entirely.

Think about it. How many life-changing, game changing software products have you bought in the last few years? Or maybe in your lifetime?

Information products, however, are different. Yes, there are some real crappy products out there. In comparison, however, books and the knowledge they contain have been changing people’s lives for centuries. They are storehouses of knowledge. There were two information products I bought in the past that provided me with the raw blueprint for my publishing business. It’s hard to put a price tag on that.

FIRST YOU LEARN, THEN YOU EARN. YOU CAN ALSO LEARN FROM HISTORY

Over a hundred years ago there was the gold rush. While very few people actually struck it rich back then, more than just a few wound up building successful businesses out West and the rest is history. Make no mistake about it, digging for gold takes time. Some people dug for months on end. Others for years on end.

By the time the “rush” ended, most came up empty handed. During that same period of time, others built businesses out West in a country that became known as the “Land of Opportunity.” They became wealthy in the process.

Today, with the Internet, there are many similarities. There are a handful of people who will create a single site that goes public and results in a windfall of cash. I’m sure you remember Napster and some of the others that have popped up? Those stories are modern versions of “striking gold.” Other people, usually working under the radar, went on to build very successful online businesses.

Realize this… the Internet is still in many ways like the Wild West of old. There are fortunes waiting to be made in the here and now. The old media guard that I’ve been personally working with since the late 90’s are finding themselves being out maneuvered by lone bloggers who quickly develop large followings.

If you’re interested in doing something similar, you have to overcome the Get Rich Quick addiction and start building a real business.

A GOOD FRIEND BEATS THE GET RICH QUICK ADDICTION

Several months ago a good friend of mine made the commitment to break away from buying WSO Warrior Forum Products. For those of you unfamiliar with the Warrior Forum, it’s an Internet Marketing site where loads of “make money” products (eBooks, software, etc.) are sold. He’s been building a web business for two years at a much slower pace than need be because he kept getting sidetracked by email offers.

One week he’d tell me he was found a product on how to start and run your own plug-and-play, local SEO business in 30-minutes a day. He told me about it, but I wasn’t interested. He asked, “Aren’t you just a little bit interested? What if it’s something you can use a few months down the line to make some good money with?”

My answer was, “No. I have enough on my plate and my own projects to complete right now.”

A few weeks later, when I asked him about it, he told me he put it on the backburner because he didn’t have the time to go through the material thoroughly enough to set everything up. A few days later, he’d tell me about a course he purchased about building and running adsense sites on autopilot.

Finally, it occurred to him that most of the people sending out these offers were making money off individuals like him creating and marketing offers every day. That was their business. He told me, “These people aren’t actually using the information or products they’re selling. They’re just hawking offers and building mailing lists to repeat the process.”

This took place in the spring of 2011. Since that time, he’s unsubscribed from 95% of the lists he was subscribed to in order to focus on building his own business. From June until now, he’s managed to triple his monthly income building websites for local businesses here in Florida.

Remember, I’m talking about the Get Rich Quick Addiction. It’s the addiction part that causes people to do stupid things, take horrendous risks and have their business and personal lives brought to the brink of collapse as a result.

HITTING THE RESET BUTTON

If you’re ready to hit the reset button, here’s one way to do it.

1. Gather all the junk material (physical, digital, etc.) and move it to an out of sight, out of mind location.
2. Reroute all but the very best one or two subscriptions to your junkmail folder if you can’t outright unsubscribe from them. You can always move them back later if you feel you made a mistake on any given one. (I only have 3 ezines I read as of this writing. Jim Straw’s, a Facebook expert from Ireland and another guy from the UK who’s a newbie but I enjoy his articles).
3. Write down what you want to accomplish in the next 6 months.
4. Next to that, write the tools you’ll need to do this.
5. Buy ONLY those tools.
6. Write a daily action plan
7. Do it!

You may not be one for lists, but go ahead and take a moment and do the above outline. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised how helpful it will be.

That’s all for now.

By Jim Straw -

The biggest UN-kept Secret in the business community. — Go to your local public library.

I firmly believe that the biggest reason people fail in business … beyond greed (which always goes hand in hand with stupidity) … is a lack of understanding of the basic principles of ‘real’ business. — They fall for the con-games; again & again, simply because they do not know how ‘real’ business works; so, they accept the hype & b.s. as fact and pay the price for their lack of understanding.

Being a farm boy … son of a sharecropper (you’ve heard the story before) … I learned early in life that you can learn anything you want to know from books – and – since I couldn’t afford to buy books back then, I discovered the local public library.  In its quiet spaces, I found the world of business revealed and exposed in all its glory. — Over the years, what I learned sitting in the public library saved me from being conned countless times; simply because I knew from what I had read that ‘real’ business didn’t work the way the con-men told me it did. — Today, my personal library numbers over 6,000 books, booklets, manuals, & manuscripts, on every subject about business you can imagine.

So … to protect yourself from the scam artists, go to your public library and read, Read, READ & read some more.  Learn how ‘real’ business really works. — Learn the jargon of the business community (that alone will let you see the ‘con’ in the words the con-man uses to sell his scam). — Learn to separate the myths & lies from the tried & true.

In the business community — What you don’t know can’t just hurt you, it can kill you.

Of course, one of the most important things you need to learn is …

The difference between an “opportunity” and “information.”

An “opportunity” is a deal whereby your involvement and/or interaction directly with the promoter of the deal is suppose to allow you to make money.

“Information,” on the other hand, is only “information” until YOU turn it into an “opportunity” by using that information to do something you want to do.

I sell “information,” not “opportunities.”

To keep from being taken by the the con-men selling “opportunities” you need to keep the difference between “information” and “opportunity” uppermost in your mind.

As an example, in my mail recently, I received an “opportunity” mailing from a company inviting me to participate with them in the “Used Equipment” industry. — They will teach me how to do it, assist me in finding leads, assist me in selling what I find and even buy & sell for me (splitting the profits, of course).

The deal sounds fantastic.  If I hadn’t already been involved in the Used Equipment industry, I might even be tempted to buy their $695 plan – but – let’s pretend for a moment that I have no prior knowledge of the industry and am considering buying their “opportunity.” — What would I do?

Before I ever invested in their deal, I would go to the library and read (or at least scan) everything they might have on Used Equipment. — Then, instead of calling one of the references provided by the opportunity promoter, I would look in the Telephone Book Yellow Pages under the heading, “Used Equipment,” and physically call on some of the companies involved in the industry. — I would take the offer from the opportunity promoter along with me.

At each visit with a Used Equipment dealer, I would ask them what they thought of the deal. — Since I know the Used Equipment industry, I can guarantee you that each of them would offer to set up the same kind of buy, sell, split the profit deal for me … FREE!

Now, let’s take this example and relate it to the “information” offerings I make at my web site.

Let’s pretend for a moment that YOU have just received a mailing offering an “opportunity” in exporting … buy, sell, split the profits. — So, you go looking for “information” about how exporting is done.  You go to the library … read some of the massive tomes written on the subject.  Then, you read my offer telling you that you don’t need to know most of what is in those books. — You would buy my “information” to learn how I did it.

Or — use the internet to “buy” books & information on the subject of interest to you … like Amazon.com. — Believe it, or don’t, I still “buy” over a $1,000 in books & publications every year … even though I get that many, or more, as review copies.

Here’s another lesson I have learned.

When there seems to be tons, upon tons, of information on the net about a subject, you can just about bet your bippy that the vast majority of it is hype & b.s. — because — if the subject has that much interest, every petty con-man in the world jumps on the bandwagon with their rendition of what they themselves have read; in order to sell their useless “opportunities” or valueless
“information.”

That’s like all those people selling information about “Making a Fortune on the Internet.” — Some of them even have the audacity to post on the Discussion Boards asking, “How can I make my site sell more?” — Then, when you go to their web site, you find out they are selling information about (or an opportunity to) Make a Fortune on the Internet. — They can’t do it – but – they can teach it.

That should keep you thinkin’ fer a while – and – remember …

I “IS” an expert … “x” being any unknown quantity & a “spurt” being a drip under pressure.

By Jimmy Krug -

Marketing. The subject’s been done to death in some circles. I’ve read more books than I can count over the years and yet there are only two lessons (written by unknowns) that really stick with me above all the others. When I say, “stick with me,” I’m referring to their value and practical use.

Yes, I’ve read Claude Hopkins and the modern writings of Jay Abraham and Dan Kennedy. I’ve read more authors than I care to mention. Even so, it was the writings of a little known booklet author back in the 1980’s and another who wrote an article on sales letters in an obscure publication whose advice had the greatest impact. I’ll get to exactly what their marketing advice was in just a minute.

Information is only as good as your application of it. You see, knowing what to do doesn’t mean you’ll do it correctly. It doesn’t mean you “get it right” each and every time. I don’t think you could find any better examples than you will in sports. You can watch golf videos and take practice swings all day long. Once you step out onto the actual course, however, it suddenly becomes a different game.

Some athletes are lot better in practice than they are in the actual game. The pressure creates a different dynamic.

When I was a kid I stumbled across a tutorial designed to teach kids how to draw Mickey Mouse. I immediately  grabbed a pencil and paper and followed the instructions. The end result was a picture that didn’t resemble Mickey Mouse to the slightest degree.

In my case, the instructions required more hand and eye coordination than I had at the time. The only way to develop that or any other skill is by practicing. I didn’t want to learn how to draw Mickey that badly… so that was the end of my animation career!

Writing was a different story. Over the years, I’ve done a lot of writing. That includes in school and beyond. By the time I finally got around to writing my first eBook back in the late 90’s, the skill had already been developed to the point where I was comfortable sitting down and pounding away at the keyboard.

When it came to creating the cover for the eBook, however, that was another story altogether. I bought some software and a how-to manual and followed the instructions to the best of my ability. The final result looked amateurish, but it was the best I could do with what was available to me at the time.

The next cover I wound up creating didn’t look much better. By the time publication three (along with cover three) came around, I had enough money to outsource the design. I didn’t, though. I was so determined to make the cover designing skill a part of my personal repertoire; I decided to do it myself! My third effort came out great. I was very happy with the finished product.

At the end of the day, what I was after were “presentation and design skills.” No, I wasn’t looking for cutting edge. Clean and professional was my goal.

Keep in mind; I’ve always been a “do-it-yourselfer.” When I first started, I couldn’t afford to outsource anything and wound up doing everything myself. I also kept all the money I made! Those are the pros.

The cons were – I invested time and money buying special software and learning how to use it correctly.

Let me tell you, it was a very expensive, time consuming education… but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t enjoyable in many ways, too. If I could go back and do it over again would I do it the same way? Definitely. I’ve monetized every single skill I learned over that period of time and will hopefully continue to do so for years to come.

During the initial training period I also purchased and digested an endless stream of books, tapes and courses. Eventually, I got to the point where I found myself reading the same things over and over again.

When I take into account all information I’ve read, collected and reviewed over the years, there were a handful of priceless truths I found that really tied the loose ends up for me more than all the rest of the information put together.

Here they are.

The first priceless truth was, If you want to sell high end products or services successfully – you must first “bring people to the table” with less expensive, frontend products. On the frontend, you may have an inexpensive eBook or publication. The next price point up may have audio recordings or video. On the backend, you may have personal consulting, a weekend seminar or a BIG course with all the extras included.

In other words, you don’t start off with pricey seminars or expensive couching right out of the gate. Until you become a known commodity, the risk/reward ratio is too imbalanced.

People may be willing to risk $30 with you on the frontend… but they won’t be willing to risk $1,000 or more unless they’re able to first test the waters with minimal risk involved. You see, it’s all about risk at the end of the day. People are used to be lied to. They’re used not getting what they’ve paid for. You must prove to that you’re not going to take them down the time worn path of disappointment and disillusionment.

When I first started, I really didn’t have any backend products in mind. This was a mistake. On the other hand, when you’re learning – you’re going to make mistakes. Learn from the mistakes of others. Don’t trying reinventing the wheel. Life is too short.

The second timeless truth I learned involved writing successful sales letters or sales copy. There is an emotional “payoff” that occurs when someone becomes a buyer of your product or service. Whether the payoff continues after they use the product is another thing. Effective sales copy creates a positive emotion between the seller and prospect. What about logic you ask? Although your sales copy should certainly make sense, logic seldom closes the show.

When you’re reading material you enjoy, your brain fires neurons which create what’s called a “natural high.” The more you continue the activity, the more your brain continues to produce the “feel good” emotion. This is true about anything we enjoy doing or reading.

During the reading process, people can actually become “addicted” to the emotions triggered by the content. Years ago I was hooked by a direct mail ad I read for a commodities trading course. The writer put all the technical terms into easy-to-follow layman’s terms. It was something he said anyone could do, so I sent for the free information.

The copy made me feel that I would be able to do something I’d never done before in my life – trade Commodities and Futures options like a “big shot.” I was 22 years old and the thought of making my living, sitting on the couch trading options from home sounded like the perfect business. Once the package came in the mail, it had the stories of dozens of people of all ages and backgrounds that were happily making money as a result of the course.

In plain English, the copy allowed me to create the picture of a brighter, better tomorrow within my mind and the positive emotions that followed had me reaching for my wallet.

Did I do any research to see how legitimate the product was?

Did I read any reviews?

Did I consider any pros and cons?

Nope.

At that point, I felt so good thinking about “tomorrow” I grabbed my wallet and made the purchase. The end result was, the risk involved was a lot deeper than I was originally led to believe. Truth be told, I believed what I wanted to believe. I never did much with the material because I didn’t have the necessary investment capital.

Good, bad or somewhere in between, emotional triggers are responsible for more buying decisions than you can image. The more “addictive emotions” your sales copy triggers, the more the buyer feels good about the purchase, and the more sales you’ll money.

Yes, thousands of dollars later, those simple truths have done more to help me than all the rest put together. I could expound on them further, but I think you get the basic idea!

By Jim Straw -

This month’s issue was prompted by a question I received from Business Lyceum Attendee Sydney Freeman, when she (Sydney is a girl person) asked …

“Dan Kennedy always emphasizes testimonials.  What if you are new to the business and don’t have any?”

Although Dan is an old friend of mine and one of the finest Mailorder Marketers alive (second only to myself), like all of us ol’pros, he is always right and always wrong!

If there were only one technique, method or application that would work, every marketing program would be identical to all the others.  So, anything an ol’pro in marketing (even me) espouses as a viable marketing method must be taken in the context of your own product or service.

The only way to tell if any marketing technique, method or application is right for your product or service is by Testing, Re-testing and Testing Some More. — Whatever works is right … whatever doesn’t work is wrong.

Anywho, Sydney’s Question is almost the same as a question I received from another one of my readers over a year ago … for one of my paper and ink publications. — Since that reader is now also a Business Lyceum Attendee, I will use his question and my answer in response to Sydney’s Question.

Over a year ago, Business Lyceum Attendee Dave Simpson (momagic99@hotmail.com) … no relation to “Bart Simpson” …  decided to challenge the ol’Mailorder Master (me), by asking …

“All the copy writing gurus and experts stress the vital importance of  testimonials in a winning direct mail sales letter or ad.  How are you going to get a true, uncontrived testimonial when you’re offering a product or service for the first time?  This is especially problematic when your offering a new money-making program or home-study course that takes some time (3-12 months) before a client would actually see significant financial results from using your system.”

Then, Dave gave me four possible alternatives for consideration:

• “(1) A personal referral from people who think you, as the author of the program, are a knowledgeable, talented and honest guy.
• “(2) Results of your own experience in using the system.  In this case, it’s simply your own testimonial.
• “(3) Engage in a joint venture with someone who is in a related field and has a strong following similar to your target market.  In this case, your sales letter would be mailed to that person’s clients, along with his testimonial letter as to the quality of your system.  Of course, this is not always feasible.
• “(4) Ignore testimonials completely and pray that your ‘copywriting genius’ will save the day.î

Well, to begin with, not all “copy writing gurus and experts stress the vital importance of testimonials.” — I know I don’t.

On page #11 in the mailorder bible (my book; “Own Your Own Mailorder Business”), you will find my experienced observations about the use of testimonials. — Pay close attention to the two schools of thought on the subject.

Note:  “Own Your Own Mailorder Business” … the ‘bible’ of the mailorder industry … is available in the “POWER TOOLS” at the “Business Lyceum.”

When I wrote the book, I had discontinued using testimonials in any of my sales pieces  … I even explained “why” in the book. — Since then, I have added “true” testimonials to my sales letter for my “WorldWide Business Exchange” – but – I did it my way … which is different from the way some of my contemporaries use testimonials. — I used them as a ‘qualifier.’

In choosing the “testimonials” for my sales letter, I used testimonials that would appeal to “real” business people … as opposed to “wannabes.” As a matter of fact, I used testimonials that would ‘turn-off’ the majority of “hype” customers because the testimonials were purposely chosen to make those kind of people feel inferior to my readers.

Now … back to Dave’s situation, in answer to Sydney’s Question:

Although all four of Dave’s alternatives are viable, #2 and #4 are the methods I have used consistently – but – #1 and #3 touch upon some other methods I would use if I absolutely wanted to use “testimonials” in my sales material but didn’t have any.

First.  Instead of “referrals” from people who know and like “me,” or “joint ventures” with other notables in the industry, I would try a …

Celebrity Endorsement Approach

Referrals from your friends may be ego-building, and may even inspire your potential customers – but – your potential customers may too easily see through them.  After all, “friends” have a way of expressing their friendship with more sentiment than rationality.

Joint Ventures, on the other hand, while being a viable “marketing” ploy, could be considered “suspect” by your potential customers because of the obvious profit motive.

So … why not use a “celebrity” endorsement instead.

For many years, our ol’friend, Gary Halbert (another ol’pro in the mailorder industry), espoused the use of underpaid, over-exposed, minor TeeVee and Movie Actors as “paid” endorsers for your products or services.  In his material, Gary detailed the methods to use to contact those minor celebrities; told how to approach them; and recommended how much to offer them.

Even though these are “paid” endorsements, they can carry a great deal of weight because your potential customers recognize and, thereby, think they “know” the person making the endorsement. — It’s all the better if you can afford to “hire” Rush Limbaugh, Cher, Charlton Heston, Alex Trebek, or some other super-well-known celebrity to do the endorsement.

Note:  Since I’ve never used “paid” celebrity endorsements … like Gary Halbert … I would be remiss in trying to relate the methods to use in contacting and compensating those celebrities – but – if’n you look around, you might be able to find some of Gary’s writings on mailorder marketing to help you. — Unfortunately, I haven’t heard from Gary in too many years and the last letter I sent him came back undeliverable, so I don’t even know how to tell you where to get ahold of him or his materials.

Of course, using “paid” celebrity endorsements costs money … even if it is just a few hundred dollars for a very minor TeeVee or Movie Actor – but – there is a cheaper and more effective way.

In many industries … not all; or even most; but many … there are notables (industry celebrities) who are well-known to the people who may want or need your products or services. — Instead of using “testimonials” from people who know you, try to get “quotable comments” (indirect endorsements) from people your customers know.

As an example:  When I finished writing “Own Your Own Mailorder Business,” one of the first things I did was to have a bunch of bound manuscript copies put together.  Then, I mailed those copies … with a personal letter … to all of my old friends and acquaintances in the mailorder industry.  These were people who knew me but, they were also well-known to my customers.

My purpose in sending the advance review copies to those people was to get their input.  I wanted to know if there were things I should have included in the book but didn’t … or things I had included in the book that I shouldn’t have.

Even though my intention was not to gain “quotable comments” from those people, almost every one of them told me I could quote them … if I wanted to. — But …

Had I chosen to “quote” any of those mailorder notables, I would have first written up the “quote” exactly as I would be using it in my sales material.  Then, I would have sent a copy of the ëquoteí I proposed using to the person who had made the comment to get their approval and permission to use the quote as written. — I really wouldn’t have had to do that because almost all of the letters I had received told me I could quote them but it is something I have always done.  As a matter of fact, that little practice once saved me from a lawsuit.

You can use a similar approach to create your own “celebrity” endorsements.

Just select a list of well-known people … people your potential customers will recognize and respect … in your industry.  Then, send them a “sample” of your product (or service) for their use and comment. — You can do that even if you don’t know them and they don’t know you … as long as your product is something that they should, would or could comment on within the industry.

Hey … don’t be chintzy. — Send them the most valuable sample of the product you have. No matter how much it costs you, it beats the cost of a “paid” endorsement. — The most favorable comments you get can be used … after getting permission … in your sales material.

Note:  Some of the “comments” you get back from the notables in your industry may not be quotable … even uncomplimentary or derogatory. — Use those comments to refine, revise and improve your product. — In other cases, the comments you get … while not necessarily usable as indirect endorsements … may provide key-phrases, buzz-words, motivational buttons, or other marketing ideas you can use to enhance your sales material.

Beyond that, you might want to …

Create a Board of Advisors

Invite well-known people … people your potential customers will recognize and respect … in your industry to serve on your Board of Advisors. — If you have received some favorable “comments” from notables in your industry … comments you might use as “celebrity” endorsements … when you ask their permission to use their quotes, also ask them to serve on your Board of Advisors.  Then, print your Board of Advisors in a side-bar on your company letterhead. — Use that letterhead in all your correspondence to lend credence to company.

This works well even if there aren’t any well-known, recognizable authorities in your industry.

How many times have you received a letter with a “Board of Advisors” or “Advisory Board” (or some other nomenclature) listed on the company’s letterhead? — The names on that board are such people as the company’s Banker(s), Accountant(s), Attorney(s), etc. — Any “professional” who serves the company. — Sometimes they even list the organizations the principals belong to, degrees the principals hold, and awards the company and/or principals have received.

Using a Board of Advisors (Advisory Board; whatever) on your letterhead … even if you don’t have any “testimonials” or “endorsements” … can lend the “credibility” of your “advisors” to your company … enhancing the “image” of your company in your customers’ eyes.

By the way, it is easier than you might think to put together a Board of Advisors.

Some years ago, I helped a young company put together an Advisory Board made up of some of the most recognizable names in the Financial Industry. — All I did was write to each of those people explaining the financial ‘service’ the new company would be offering.  In the letter, I also asked if the company could call upon them; personally, on occasion for advice in their field of expertise.

Once I had a response from those people … most of them graciously agreeing to provide advice … I wrote back and advised them that I was putting together an “Advisory Board” for the company and would like to list their name on that board. — You wouldn’t believe the big, Big, BIG names I finally ended-up with on that board.

Remember, all people like to think of themselves as giving and caring – and – they also like to have their egos massaged … so, being on an “Advisory Board” massages their ego and makes them feel caring and giving.

Then again, even if there aren’t any well-known people your potential customers will recognize and respect in your industry, you might want to …

Use Professional Endorsements

Some years ago, a small company that marketed a patented air purification device was preparing their very first mailorder sales campaign. — They, too, had read all about using “testimonials” in their sales materials but they didn’t have any.

At first, their sales materials focused on “cleaning the air in your home or office.”  So, they had some friends use the devices in their homes and report the results. — Those reports … although not very convincing … became their very first “testimonials.”  But, they did make enough sales of the device to start getting some “real” testimonials from buyers.

One of the “testimonials” they received was from a Doctor who had bought one of the devices for his asthmatic daughter … to clean-up the air in her bedroom. — That “testimonial” made the company refocus their sales message.

Having learned that their device was helpful in the treatment of asthma, the company decided they could sell more units by offering it to asthmatics. But, they only had the one “testimonial” from one Doctor about the device’s effectiveness.  So …

The company sent a letter to a list of Doctors around the country who treated asthma patients. — In the letter, the company offered to provide one FREE air purification device to an asthma patient of the Doctor’s choice IF the Doctor would agree to document any beneficial results to the company. — Of course, they limited the offer to the first 100 Doctors and required the Doctor to complete a survey form about the patient who would received the device  … along with the Doctor’s signed agreement to provide feedback about the applied use and effectiveness of the device.  (They enclosed a copy of the “one” doctor’s testimonial as initial evidence of the effectiveness of the device in the treatment of asthma patients.)

Within 3 months, the company had enough “real” testimonials (endorsements) from “real” Doctors to fill a full-page. — That page of Doctor’s testimonials became the foundation for their mailings to lists of asthma patients across the country. — A year later, the owners of the company were “real” millionaires.

If you are marketing a product (or service) that can be most effectively tested by some profession, why not create a “survey” for members of that profession (doctors, lawyers, accountants, Indian chiefs) and have them “test” the product or service on their clients?  The resulting “testimonials” can give you a ho’bunch of Professional Endorsements to use in your sales material.

Then again, if you can’t find any “celebrities,” don’t know who to put on your Board of Advisors, or don’t have a product or service to get some “professionals” to endorse, try …

Using Article Reprints

Usually, when most business people think about getting a News Release published, they do so with the intent of having the resulting article generate inquiries for; or even sales of, their product.  But, there is an even better use of those published articles.

When I finished writing my book, beyond sending bound manuscript copies to other giants in the mailorder industry, I also sent out a ho’bunch of “Review Copies” to book reviewers. — Along with those review copies, I sent a very brief (two paragraph) description of the book to give the potential book reviewer an idea of what the book was about … with a copy of my bio-sheet; so the reviewer would have some idea of who I am.

Of all the reviews that were written about my book, the very, very best was written by the book reviewer at “Jackpot.” – As a matter of fact, where the reviews in other publications did pull some inquiries about the book, the review in “Jackpot” eventually pulled a total of 17 “paid orders” for the book.  (At $50 per, that ain’t bad fer a Freebie.)

To be quite honest with you, since I had sold over 1,000 copies of my book without any testimonials or endorsements, I really wasn’t looking for anything to enhance my response – but – when I saw the number of paid orders coming-in from that review, I decided to reprint the article and make it part of my sales letter offer. — The results were phenomenal … still are. — That reprint increased my response rate by from 50% to 200% … meaning lists that pulled a 1% response without the reprint pulled from 1.5% to 3% with the reprint.

Having said that, you now have an even bigger reason to get some News Articles printed about yourself, your business, and your products or services. — It isn’t just the inquiries the articles can generate, it’s the potential use of reprints of some of those articles to build your business image.

Now, following up on what I just said, here’s …

How To Get A Good News Release Written

Most Journalists are on the low-end of the pay scale.  For that reason, they are always looking for “freelance” writing assignments.

When you want to get a news article (Release) written about yourself, your business or product, go to your local newspaper office and talk to some of the reporters.  Ask if any of them would be interested in earning a few bucks on a “freelance” writing assignment.

Once you have the reporters’ interest … which will happen almost instantly … tell them you want a dynamite news article written about (whatever)  . — Tell them they don’t have to offer the article to their newspaper for publication … just write it. — Ask them to suggest or recommend ideas, publicity stunts, gimmicks, tricks or anything else you can do to give them a “story” to write. — Offer to pay the reporters from $100 to $500 for each “story” you accept. — Buy the articles that have the most punch to them. — Use those articles as News Releases.

Hey … it works!  I’ve done it myself.

By Jimmy Krug -

Learning how to make money is a skill just like any other skill. There’s really nothing “mystical” about it as some people would like you to believe.  It’s similar to planting a garden. You have to choose an area, prepare the ground, plant the seed, water it… and finally, protect it so it can grow. With experience, you learn to choose the areas you “plant in” a lot better.

It starts with laying the groundwork and focusing upon an objective. That’s how businesses are built. Some people aren’t interested in starting a business, though. They’ll tell you they just want to “make a few bucks.” They have a slot machine mentality that would rather wander around from one game to the next, dropping coins in a slot, pulling a leaver and crossing their fingers.

Over the years, the Internet has become a carnival of heavily hyped products being sold to starry-eyed, hopefuls… especially in the areas of Internet marketing and SEO.

One of the most popular ways to make money online today is being an affiliate and selling someone else’s products. There’s nothing wrong with this business model. For more information, check out the affiliate programs and offers at Amazon.com, CommissionJunction.com and Clickbank.com for ideas.

I have a strong bias, however, in favor of creating your own products and controlling everything from the product rights to the price points. In the long run, selling something someone else controls is fine… but not at the expense of having your own products and building your own reputation.

In my own experience, nothing beats having the ability to create the supply that satisfies the demand. This is doubly so when that product is information. It was with this in mind that I entered the information publishing business back in the 1990’s.

Today, I develop products today the same way I did when I first started.

It all starts with research.

I begin with the Barnes and Noble or Books-A-Million stores in my hometown. I prefer start my research there (with either one). I actually find this method to be faster, believe it or not, than starting the process online. I simply walk through the store and take mental note of all the latest trends and topics with books and magazines. I walk from one section to the next.

Remember, large publishing houses have teams of people keeping up with trends, what’s hot, what’s not and where people’s interests currently are.

Sure, you can do the same thing on Amazon, but you’ll get the big picture “live” by doing it this way with almost no effort at all. If I see anything of particular interest, I’ll take out my cell phone and snap a quick photo of book covers, titles or even magazine headlines.

Sometimes an idea for an eBook will evolve into a new business product or service. I’ve been using eBooks to promote offline business products and services for years now with good success. I’ve come up with more ideas in bookstores than any other place I can think of. In fact, having too many ideas has been a problem I’ve dealt with more than just a few times.

Sometimes you can fall in love with the product creation process itself when you become comfortable with it. The sky becomes the limit. The problem is, we live on the ground, not in the sky. Marketing what we’ve created isn’t always the most enjoyable process in the world. It can be like eating vegetables when you prefer hamburgers.

It’s the rest of the groundwork that comes after the product creation; however, that completes the process and puts money in the bank.

When I first started creating my own publications, I was more of an “idea man” than I was a businessman. In other words, I’d write about a topic that I personally enjoyed without a whole lot of thought about how I’d ultimately market the product. Sometimes you can actually “get it right” with this approach. But most times, you won’t. The mystery that seems surround the product creation process from a beginner’s standpoint can often consume their focus. The marketing can almost become an afterthought. Like most people, I found myself wanting to run before I learned to walk.

WHAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING?

You may wonder, what’s the most important part of the process? Is it the sales letter or the product itself? To be completely honest, they’re both important.

The marketing sells the product. The product in turn sells YOU. If the marketing is poor, very few people will buy the product. If the marketing is good but the product is poor, very few people will buy anything else from you ever again.

You need both.

After I’ve done my bookstore “research,” I then go online and take a look at my potential competition. In some cases, I don’t care what the competition is because the product is being designed for my existing client base.

In most cases, a single eBook is not the “end all” in the equation. The eBook may lead to a series of eBooks, a paid newsletter, a membership site, audios, videos, etc.

The idea behind all the above is to create a series of comprehensive solutions for a particular market or niche. Don’t get caught in a “hit or miss” proposition, changing products and markets with regularity because the grass suddenly looks greener somewhere else. Like any real business, you’ll get out exactly what you put into it.

Providing QUALITY solutions, guides, roadmaps and blueprints is what separates top notch information publishers from the hoards of “me too, microwavable solution” products and publishers that pop up with increased frequency. They’re here today and gone tomorrow. They’re gone because once their products get reviewed and those reviews start getting indexed by Google… they’re finished.

No, you can’t keep a bad reputation under wraps these days for very long. Those days are gone.

WORK WITH WHAT YOU HAVE

One of the biggest mistakes you can ever make is to pay TOO MUCH attention to what someone else is doing. There comes a point in your business life when you have to stop following “the leaders” in your field and start being one yourself. I talked about this principle in detail in “The Secret Path” course. As long as you’re following someone else, you’ll always be (at best) a step behind.

Start where you’re at and work with what you have. Learn from doing… not just reading about what someone else did.

Realize this, no one knows as much as you think they do. I was given that advice about a long time ago and the older I get, the more that advice continues to prove itself out. Build a business that’ll last a lifetime. It’s all starts with laying the foundation.

By Jim Straw -

Why is it?  …

The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence!

Unless you growed up on a farm … as I did … you might not get the real meaning of that old adage.

Back when I was a kid … even before I had ever heard that maxim … I noticed that some cows would stand on one side of a fence, with lush, green grass covering their hooves, and put their heads between the strands of barbed-wire to eat a single scruffy clump of grass on the other side.  Many times, they would go so far as to push a section of fence down, just to get to the grass on the other side … making it necessary for me to spend hours re-planting posts and  re-stretching wire.

Although rebuilding fences was no fun, it was often heartbreaking to see how some of the cows injured themselves on the barbed-wire.

It probably wouldn’t have been so upsetting if the grass in our neighbors’ pastures was better or more plentiful than the grass in our pasture but it wasn’t. — Each year, in order to keep our cows well fed, we seeded our pastures with the best feed grass on the market.  Our neighbors, on the other hand, just let the wild prairie grass grow … or not grow … as it would.  One neighbor had to rebuild his fence every year to keep some of his cows out of our pasture.  Another neighbor never built a fence in his life but some of his cows were fat and healthy from eating our grass … .while I rebuilt our fence to keep his cows out of our pasture.

Of course, when I was young … just growing up on the farm … I figured it was just the nature of “stupid” cows. — After I growed-up and left the farm, I realized that cows and people were very much alike.

Right now, you’re probably thinking, “I know where ol’Jim is going.  He’s gonna tell me … like everybody else does … to quit looking for a ‘greener pasture’ and look for the ‘greener grass’ in my own pasture.”

Wrong, cow-patty breathe! — If you’re thinking something like that, you better don’t quit reading.

Although I wholeheartedly agree that finding greener grass in your own pasture is preferable to continually seeking greener pastures … possibly injuring yourself, or knocking down some well-intentioned fences, in the pursuit … the “greener pastures” analogy offers a much greater …

Marketing Secret

Return with me now to the days of my youth on the farm.  Let’s see what kind of “marketing secret” we can learn from the cows.

By the way, for those of you who didn’t grew-up on a farm … “cows” are for milking, “cattle” are for eating; hence, the terms “milk cows” and “beef cattle.”

Anywho … in my youth, I considered all cows to be stupid animals always looking for a greener pasture – but – looking back, most of the cows actually stayed in their own pasture.  They might, occasionally, when grazing near the fence, reach across for some tasty morsel on the other side – but – they were quick to retreat when pricked by the barbs on the wire. — I guess they’re the ones that give that “milk from contented cows.”

Even so, every once in a while one of those “contented cows” would … without reason … begin breaching fences to graze in other (not necessarily “greener”) pastures.

Of course, I considered my cows to be “stupid” for leaving a pasture of feed grass, to eat the wild prairie grass growing in the neighbors’ pastures. — But, what about the neighbors’ cows who left their pastures of wild prairie grass to eat the feed grass in our pasture … shouldn’t I have considered them to be “smart” cows? — Actually, in both instances, they were just “un-contented cows.”

Then again, there was the little black and white heifer that headed for the neighbor’s pasture every morning.  (I’ll never forget her because I still bear the scars from her sharp little horns.) — The only way I could keep her in our pasture was by driving her into the neighbor’s pasture each morning.  Within minutes, she would breach the fence back into our pasture, where she would spend the rest of the day.

Think about it for a minute. — Aren’t cows and people very much alike?

Most people … like “contented cows” … are completely satisfied to stay where they are.  They very rarely, if ever, leave their comfort zone and, most often, when they do, they return at the first hint of pain or resistance.

Other people … like “un-contented cows” … are forever looking for something (they don’t know what).  They either leave where they are to get to somewhere they think is better, or they leave to get away from where they are.  Sometimes they wind-up in a place “not as good” as the place they left … other times a place far better. — Never satisfied, they just keep searching for that “greener pasture,” thinking it must exist somewhere other than where they are.

Some people … like my little black and white heifer … belligerently breach the fences of life, just because the fences are there. — They don’t really have a reason but they Aren’t going to let any fence stand in their way.

The old adage — The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence! — is based on the assumption that a cow sees “greener” grass in the next pasture and heads for it.  It ain’t so (I’ve seen cows breach a fence to get out of a “green” pasture into a “brown” briar patch), but a “greener” patch of grass could represent a motive force in the human eye.

So …

Some Marketing Gurus Tell You To
Sell “greener” Pastures

By painting word-pictures, you are supposed to entice and tempt the reader with “patches of greener grass” … luring the reader into your “pasture” with the promise of providing something which is beyond their reach.

Using this kind of advertising approach, you are only selling to those “un-contented cows.” — Even if your product or service delivers every tangible thing you promised, the “un-contented cows” you sold it to will still be the same “un-contented cows.”  Because …

If The Product or Service You Offer Is Beyond The Reach Of Your Customers Before You Sell It To Them, It Will Remain Beyond Their Reach Even After You Sell It To Them!

With Advance APOLOGIES to the “Rolex” watch company, let me give you an example … exaggerated, of course, to give you a better idea what I mean.

Using the “greener pastures” advertising approach, what if the “Rolex” watch company advertised its watches like this:

“The President of your Bank wears a Rolex.  When you buy a Rolex, YOU will be just as rich and powerful as your Bank President!”

If being just as rich and powerful as the Bank President is beyond the reach of the customer before they buy a “Rolex” watch, it will still be beyond their reach after they buy a “Rolex” watch.

Selling “greener pastures” is the kind of bull-stuff that caters to those “un-contented cows.” — “Hype” advertising that attracts “hype” customers.

Of course, if being just as rich and powerful as the Bank President is within the reach of the customer before they buy a “Rolex” watch, they might actually (but erroneously) believe that buying the “Rolex” watch made them rich and powerful.

Right now, you might be thinking, “Aha!  I’ve got it.  ol’Jim is gonna tell me the ‘marketing secret’ is to sell the greener grass in my customer’s own   pasture rather than selling them a greener pasture.”

Wrong, chlorophyll-breathe! — Selling “greener grass” can be just as counter-productive as selling “greener pastures.”

The marketing secret in the old adage — The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence! — is to directing your advertising toward …

Eliminating Fences!

By eliminating fences, you make your product or service available to all the “contented cows” who are satisfied to stay in their own pasture (a much, much larger audience). — Without fences, their own perceived pasture becomes larger and larger … allowing them “free range” to avail themselves of your product or service without pain or resistance.

Returning to our “Rolex” watch example, what if the “Rolex” watch company advertised its watches like this:

“Now, you can own a Rolex of your very own, just like the one your Bank President wears. Our new monthly payment plan makes it possible for you (even if you Aren’t rich and powerful) to own a Rolex!”

The ad doesn’t offer a “greener pasture” (or even “greener grass”) it just eliminates the fence that has kept all those “contented cows” from moseying over and taking a big chomp on a clump of “Rolex” grass.

If you entice, tempt and lure “un-contented cows” into your pasture … no matter how “green” it may be … you will still be stuck with a herd of those “un-contented cows.”

On the other hand, if you direct your marketing efforts toward the much, much larger herd of “contented cows” … by eliminating fences, giving them a larger “free range” to graze … you’ll end-up with a herd of “contented cows” grazing in the satisfying grass in your corner of the “free range” pasture.

It isn’t what you sell that generates “satisfied” customers … it’s how you sold it to them.
REMEMBER:  “satisfied” customers are the only real assets any business needs to prosper.